Nabataea and Petra

The Nabateans, an Arab people of northern Arabia, settle along the caravan routes by which frankincense and myrrh come up from the south. Their capital Petra is hidden in a rocky gorge: the facades of the tombs are cut straight into the rose-coloured sandstone, and rainwater is gathered into cisterns by an intricate system of channels — in the desert, at once wealth and defence. The kingdom stretches from Sinai to Damascus and borders directly on Judea: the Nabatean king Aretas is father-in-law to Herod Antipas, and the repudiation of his daughter will lead to war. In 106 CE Rome will annex Nabataea as the province of Arabia.